More On Artficial Sweeteners

I have been reading more on artificial sweeteners from a number of sources and the news does not get any better or more reassuring that you are okay to continue eating foods containing these.

The top (4) artificial sweeteners on the hit list are:

1. Aspartame which contains phenylalanine, aspartic acid and methanol:

What is methanol?

Also known as methyl alcohol, wood naphtha or wood spirits, methanol is a type of alcohol with the formula CH3OH (often written as MeOH). It’s the simplest alcohol, and at room temperature, forms a clear and highly flammable solution with a characteristic sweet smell.

Ingestion of large amounts of methanol is extremely dangerous, as it’s converted to toxic compounds including formic acid and formate salts. These can affect the central nervous system and cause blindness, coma or even death. As a consequence, this alcohol is frequently used as a denaturant additive for synthetic ethanol, to prevent people from drinking industrial grade ethanol.

What is phenylalanine? It is an amino acid however it can cause major problems IF:

Turns out that one in 15,000 people in the world has a genetic disorder calledPhenylketonuria. Their body can’t metabolize phenylalanine. As it builds up in the body, it causes all sorts of bad things to happen, such as mental retardation, seizures, and other brain damage.

Here is a list of known side effects that I am sure is on every one's Christmas wish list...NOT!

Headaches, memory loss, arthritis, anxiety, memory loss, abdominal pain, depression, heart palpitations. weight gain, possible brain tumor, irritable bowel syndrome, vision problems and last but not least nausea.

Ready for more good news about ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS?

2. Aceslulfame-K - It is a potassium salt containing methylene which is a know carcinogen!

3. Sucralose - it is a synthetic additive created by chlorinating sugar. The chemical structure is listed as very similar to the structure of the now BANNED pesticide DDT

4. SACCHARIN - Primary ingredient is "Benzoic Sulfimide" Early studies showed this product caused bladder cancer in rats.

WHAT ABOUT SMART SAFE ALTERNATIVES?

I use Stevia in the raw. Everything I read indicates it is safe for human consumption. It takes very little of it to add sweetness to what ever you are drinking and/or eating.

STAY away from items labeled as DIET, LOW calorie etc. especially soft drinks Coke and Pepsi etc. MOST of the diet and low calorie foods on your grocer shelves are laden with one or another form of artificial sweeteners.

God Bless,

Dan